American cuisine is undergoing a renaissance with the introduction of traditional ethnic foods into the mainstream diet. An example of this revival may be found in the recent popularity of Mexican food restaurants. One Mexican dish, however, relished by those who have consumed it, has not found its way onto many American's plates--tamales.
Tamales are an often highly seasoned Mexican dish of fried chopped meat and crushed peppers rolled in cornmeal dough, wrapped in corn husks and steamed. Typically, several dozen of these relatively small morsels are prepared at a given time. When placed in a pot for cooking, tamales are typically leaned against each other forming a single upright layer covering the entirety of the pot's bottom surface. Because little open space exists between the tamales during cooking, many hours are often required to steam them. Very few chefs in our fast-paced society have the patience to prepare such time consuming items.
A need presently exists for a steaming device capable of cooking food items, such as tamales, at a much faster rate. Thus, by modernizing cooking procedures, traditional foods will find a bright future in American culture.